Volleyball climbs back from 2-0 deficit to claim five-set thriller over JSU

Morehead State climbed out of a 2-0 deficit to defeat Jacksonville State in five sets on Friday night at Wetherby Gym. The Eagles move to 10-6 (1-2 Ohio Valley Conference) on the season, while Jacksonville State drops to 14-7, 1-2 OVC.

Jacksonville State handily claimed the first set by a 25-16 margin, then held on for a 25-23 victory in the second. Morehead State stormed out of the break, however, stealing the momentum and never looking back.

The Eagles won the third set 25-22, then repeated the feat with a 25-21 victory in the fourth. The fifth set transpired in back-and-forth fashion, eventually leading to a 17-15 triumph by the home team with the crowd at its back.

Jordan Jones led Morehead State with 20 kills and 29 assists, surpassing the 1,000-assist mark on her career. Maddie Fella also reached a career milestone, passing 200 blocks as an Eagle. Lauren Rokey recorded 15 kills and 11 digs, while Olivia Lohmeier logged 14 kills with a team-high .393 hitting percentage.

Morehead State is back in action on Saturday, facing Tennessee Tech (2-13, 0-3 OVC) at 2 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast live on the OVC Digital Network

Morehead State opened Friday's doubleheader slate with a 3-0 sweep of South Carolina State. The Eagles (5-3) defeated the Bulldogs (0-4) by scores of 25-19, 25-16, and 25-19.

"I thought we fought through some situations that we've been working on," said head coach Jaime Gordon. "It was nice to see us work through some things."

With freshman standout Taylor Hodges sidelined due to injury, junior Alyssa Cecil picked up the start for Morehead State. The 5-foot-7 Cedar Park, Texas native came away with three service aces in the win.